The Graceful Clinton Exit

Hillary Clinton - AP photo from cnn.com

Well, it had dragged on for more than a year, like the old-style Philippine soap operas.  But on Saturday, Hillary Clinton’s quest to become the first woman president of the United States finally ended with her formal endorsement of Barack Obama.

Still, while it was a failed bid for the White House, all together it was history in the making.  And Hillary has, as of the present, secured, if not recovered her place in politics and history.  She said it herself with eloquence — she may have failed to shatter the glass ceiling to win the bid.  But this ceiling now has 18 million cracks, and maybe it really will not take too long before a woman eventually does become chief executive of the United States.  She has at the very least, provided the foundation for women.

In any case, who knows, she could still be chosen to run for Vice President, which is the next chapter of this highly-anticipated campaign.

What is most admirable is that personal ambitions had been aside, supposedly in favor of party and national interest.

I’m saying this because if such a campaign had happened in the Philippines — yes, this has happened so many times in the past —  we won’t see such a graceful exit.  There would be no graceful exit, for if Hillary were a running for Philippine president, she would have most probably broken away from her party, came up with her own party, and continued running.  Most probably, this breakaway party and the mother party will be based on personalities and not clear platforms and principles.

It is historic moments like this when we realize how long the Philippines still has to go before it does reach a level of political maturity.

Still, there is credit for the Philippines in being able to catapult not just one, but two women into power.

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